‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’: Everything we know about the sequel so far

After Jurassic Worldsmashed box office records in summer 2015, it was only a question of when, not if, the film would get a sequel. Universal Pictures didn’t make fans wait long and scheduled a follow-up for 2018, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

While plot details have been closely guarded, information about the upcoming sequel has been steadily emerging. The studio has confirmed the return of Jurassic World stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. They’ll reprise their respective roles as velociraptor expert Owen Grady and the park’s operations manager, Claire Dearing. Meanwhile, we’ll see an original franchise star rejoin the series. Jeff Goldblum is set to return as Dr. Ian Malcolm, a central character from 1993’s Jurassic Park and its 1997 follow-up, The Lost World: Jurassic Park. The Fallen Kingdom cast also includes James Cromwell, Justice Smith, Ted Levine, Geraldine Chaplin, Daniella Pineda, Toby Jones, Rafe Spall, and B.D. Wong.

Like its predecessor, the upcoming dinosaur flick is co-written by Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly. Trevorrow opted out of directing the sequel, but the studio found a replacement in Juan Antonio Bayona. They look to re-create the immense success of Jurassic World, which raked in more than $1.67 billion globally and becoming the fourth-highest grossing film of all time.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is slated to open in theaters on June 22, 2018, but until then, here is everything we know about the film.

A clip hatches

A day ahead of Thanksgiving, Colin Trevorrow gave fans a little something to be thankful for — the first Fallen Kingdom footage. The executive producer shared the clip on Twitter, writing, “From our Jurassic family to yours.” Having seen it, the animal we’re most excited right now about is not the holiday’s traditional turkey, but the baby raptor shown in the video with Pratt’s character.

For all we know, that velociraptor is going to grow up to cause trouble, but for now, watching the dinosaur nuzzle Owen is pretty cute.

The return of Ian Malcolm

With Ian Malcolm getting involved in Jurassic problems once again, fans have been curious about what the character’s role will be. Goldblum shed some light on his character’s involvement during a Radio Times interview in October, taking care to not spoil the film by speaking hypothetically.

“He might have something to say about the current confluence of circumstances around, you know, the use and misuse of technology,” Goldblum said.

The actor took it even further, adding that his character “might” do so “with some wry … irony, but some deep, wise, passionate conviction” — and do it all while wearing his trademark dark clothes and sunglasses. All of that sounds a little too specific and perfect for it to not happen, but that was as much confirmation as Goldblum was willing to give.

The first poster

When the countdown to the Jurassic World sequel got down to a year, Universal Studios commemorated the occasion by revealing the film’s title. Thanks to the first movie poster, we discovered that the upcoming dinosaur flick is called Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. The movie’s official Twitter account posted the image, writing, “In one year, life finds a way.” The poster echoes that message.

A cryptic photo

After filming began in early 2017, director Bayona gave fans a look at the first photo. He posted the image in March and hyped a “new Jurassic adventure.” Of all the photos he could have chosen, he did a good job of picking a cryptic one. The image shows a girl standing in a dinosaur exhibit, which is interesting considering the films are better known for their live dinosaurs than their dead ones.

A dinosaur-sized message

Fallen Kingdom will educate at the same time that it entertains. In August 2016, Trevorrow shared some more details, including the fact that that there will be a message in the sequel.

“The dinosaurs will be a parable of the treatment animals receive today: the abuse, medical experimentation, pets, having wild animals in zoos like prisons, the use the military has made of them, animals as weapons,” he told El Mundo at the time.

These themes aren’t totally new to the franchise. Over the years, we’ve seen how experimentation can go wrong, the unintended consequences that can emerge, and more. However, it sounds like the film will explore fresh avenues as well. Trevorrow made it clear that Fallen Kingdom will be “a very different movie that will explore new paths.”

New setting, new danger

While we don’t know exactly what to expect from the latest Jurassic film, we know some of what not to expect. Speaking to Wired in July 2015, Trevorrow made it clear they wouldn’t have “just a bunch of dinosaurs chasing people on an island.” He seemed to hint the sequel would move away from Isla Nublar and go beyond the world of the park.

Trevorrow also teased that Fallen Kingdom will look at bigger dangers than those we have already seen. Not only did the producer mention the possibility of dinosaurs being used in warfare, he suggested that other entities could learn how to make dinosaurs. That idea was foreshadowed in Jurassic World when Dr. Henry Wu (Wong) said, “[InGen is] not always going to be the only ones who can make a dinosaur.”

There are endless interesting possibilities, and the creative minds behind the film have clearly been exploring them.

INFORMATIONAL DISCLAIMER
The information contained on or provided through this site is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional financial or accounting advice. Always seek the advice of your accountant or other qualified personal finance advisor for answers to any related questions you may have. Use of this site and any information contained on or provided through this site is at your own risk and any information contained on or provided through this site is provided on an "as is" basis without any representations or warranties.